Archive - January, 2012

God as a personal coach……

January 31, 2012 in church, God, Jesus with 6 Comments

“We evangelicals are less interested in appealing not to everyone’s God-shaped vacuum but to our yearning for self-improvement. Their reason for existence is not to glorify God and enjoy him forever, but to fix the self. There’s lots of talk about being “transformed by God,” but there is a lot more interest in transformation than in God. The psychology of the appeal often works like this: “You don’t like the way you are? Come to God; he’s pretty good at making you into the person you always wanted to be.” God as personal coach.”

This [extract] article  originally appeared in the ["Choosing Grace" Jan./Feb. 2012 Vol. 21 No. 1 Page number(s): 46-49] edition of Modern Reformation and is reprinted with permission. For more information about Modern Reformation, visit www.modernreformation.org or call (800) 890-7556. All rights reserved.

Plan to read your Bible……

January 30, 2012 in Bible, church, God, Jesus with 6 Comments

“Joshua 1:8 calls us to meditate on God’s Word day and night. One way I do this is by setting a goal every January to read a little bit of the Bible every day in order to finish reading the whole Bible by December. I make time to read twice a day, no matter how busy I am. If you start reading while a teenager, throughout your lifetime you could read through the Bible over 60 times!”

5 Quick Tips for Reading Your Bible Plan

1. Pick a plan that interests you, but one that is also difficult enough to keep you engaged.

2. Have a friend or family member read along with you and keep you accountable.

3. When you read, think of how the truths can be applied to your life first, not others’ lives.

4. Have resources to help you understand difficult passages better: a pastor, parent, commentary, Bible dictionary, etc.

5. Make time to read by planning 10 to 30 minutes twice a day, every day, to make sure you are consistent.

Taken from a recent blog post by Ashley Driscoll [source]

James – Testing of your Faith (V1-18)

January 26, 2012 in Bible, God, Jesus with 2 Comments

‘…..for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind’ (James Ch1 v 6)

“Waves are what happens when wind and tide take hold of the waters that are there all the time and make them dance to their tune….……the waves seem to have character and energy of their own. But they don’t. They are the random products of other forces. The challenge of faith is the challenge not to be a wave.” (Early Christian Letters for Everyone – Tom Wright)

How often are you and I like waves? We allow circumstances around us to dictate how we act. We allow people and their actions to influence who we are and how we behave……….

James talks about ‘testing,’ ‘trials’ and ‘wisdom‘ right at the very start of this letter…….’testing‘ and ‘trials‘……….we all experience these right? Some worse than others of course but, how do we handle them?

‘If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God,  who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him ‘ (v5)

We aren’t talking about wisdom to make you a better businessman or, wisdom that will win arguments and make you look very clever ……this is not a selfish prideful wisdom………….instead, he is talking about the wisdom that only God can and will give!

Wisdom is one of the great themes of James’ letter……….

“Without that [wisdom], you’ll be double-minded, swept this way one minute and that way the next. You’ll just be another wave. With it, you will have a settled character. Wisdom. Patience. Faith.” (Early Christian Letters for Everyone – Tom Wright)

So, may we ask God for wisdom, knowing that He gives it generously and, may we remain steady and unchanging when trials and temptations come our way…….may we trust God and His word rather than the things in our world that distract and trap us………may we see that God and His word will last………………and that the ‘stuff’ in our world that threatens to distracts us is worthless and will ‘wither away‘ (v10-11)

Let’s ask God for wisdom…….

The Doctor explains time……..

January 26, 2012 in art, creativity, film, technology with 0 Comments

Mark Driscoll Controversies – The End

January 25, 2012 in Books, church, God, Jesus with 10 Comments

I’ve decided that after this post, I will not mention Mark Driscoll controversies on my blog again………….

The latest one to drop into my news-feed [last night] on twitter is being re-tweeted and discussed endlessly by hundreds and thousands of ‘concerned’ and ‘shocked‘ people, many of whom appear to be revelling in the controversy……………the anti-Driscoll club is growing…………..and some of it is shameful………yet again!

Last week I quoted this on my blog:

“Jesus’ witnesses are called to a holy and courageous boldness, a firm fidelity to the Gospel that is willing to endure ostracism and even persecution. But we are not to display the kind of “strength” that is hard and harsh, the kind of uprightness that is angry and condescending, the kind of courage that is merely ruthless, the kind of witness that rants and manipulates.”

If I am going to blog/tweet and share my life online whilst professing faith in Christ then I must think carefully about my words……..my criticisms………my advice………..my honesty……..

I must think carefully about how my words and actions affect what people decide about Jesus! The potential for being a horrible and destructive influence is huge!

Perhaps you need to think more carefully?

Are the Driscoll controversies helpful content in any way? Some bloggers who I used to read and follow are now discussing Driscoll on a weekly basis…………and its became tired and spiteful and sad…………….but, I’m only accountable for what I say!

So, with that said…………

Mark Driscoll Controversies – The End

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